NSB's police union to try again to strike deal with city

Monday

Dec 31, 2012 at 2:48 PMDec 31, 2012 at 5:34 PM

A month away from heading to arbitration, the city and its police union are heading back to the negotiating table Wednesday.

RICHARD CONNSTAFF WRITER

NEW SMYRNA BEACH — A month away from heading to arbitration, the city and its police union are heading back to the negotiating table Wednesday to try to break a stalemate in labor negotiations. If the two sides can't broker a deal, a special magistrate is scheduled to hear each side's case on Jan. 30. Robert Walker, business agent for Orlando-based Teamsters Local 385, which represents the city's police officers, said even if an agreement isn't reached Wednesday, negotiations could continue up until the arbitration date. "I wouldn't say it's a last ditch effort; I'd say it's ongoing," he said. "We've still got a month." One of the main sticking points in talks is the city's proposal for police officers to contribute about 2 percent more of their pay into their pensions over the next three years. They currently pay 8.1 percent and the city wants to increase that amount to 10 percent. Walker said Monday that he didn't want to unveil the union's latest counterproposal before Wednesday's meeting. "We do expect some banter back and forth to see if we can meet somewhere in the center, and I'm just waiting to see what's going to happen on Wednesday," he said. City Manager Pam Brangaccio was not in the office Monday and could not be reached for comment. In an email last month, she said pension reform has been a "top goal" of the City Commission for the last three years. She said, over the last five fiscal years, the city's contribution to the police pension fund increased 87 percent, from $434,072 to $814,476. During that same period, she said the city's tax roll declined $3.7 billion to $2.4 billion and general fund taxes dipped from $11.9 million to $8.1 million. The City Commission has already approved labor deals with the International Association of Firefighters and the Labor International Union of North America. In the deal with the IAFF, firefighters agreed to increase their pension contributions from 1 to 10 percent over the next three years. Under the proposed police contract, employees who want to receive a lump sum in pension upon retirement would only be allowed to get 5 percent to 10 percent of their pension rather than an up to a 25 percent payment. New employees would not be provided those pension options. A statement in a press release issued by the Teamsters last month read, "We understand the need for fiscal responsibility, but it must be balanced with the needs and expectations of the employees as well. Sanctioning the pension system could have dire unintended consequences for all involved. What the city hopes to save in the future could end up going out the back door in lawyer's fees, and lawsuit payouts." If the two sides go to arbitration, the special magistrate's recommendation is not binding on either party. The City Commission has the final say so on a new contract, Brangaccio said in the email. "Right now, I'm hoping it doesn't get to that," Walker said. "I'm open to negotiations all the way up to the point to where the magistrate bangs the gavel." The negotiations on Wednesday will be held in a public session beginning at 1:30 p.m. at City Hall, 210 Sams Ave.

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